Power Plays
Karness Muur was chosen as the next Dark Lord, however, there was already plots against him. He and Dreypa were always rivals, and Syn wanted the throne to herself as well.
Sorzus Syn left behind extensive notes on various Sith alchemical texts left over from the pre-exilic period. She writes how she salvaged these ancient works which she then mined for their secrets. During and after the Hundred Year Darkness, she headed several archeological finds whose records luckily still survive to this day. While most Sith tombs were long raided, the most powerful were sometimes still intact thanks to their powerful spells and booby traps.
For example, she unearthed the tomb of Sakkra Kla, the crazed monotheist who lived circa. 17,000 BBY, and who was the most notable king before the Sith Renaissance which led to the rise of the Second Imperium. She also discovered the tombs of Nakgru and Wyrmuk the Undying, both chief figures in the Renaissance (circa. 15,800 BBY) who helped to discover and preserve the teachings of Adas. Wyrmuk was an ambitious Sith who served as vizier of the Imperium during the reign of Nakgru. However, he wanted the throne for himself and challenged Nakgru to an honor duel. They fought and Nakgru beheaded Wyrmuk. However, Wyrmuk was able to preserve his life by drawing upon the Force to go into a trance in which his brain used less blood, so that even when his head bled out, he was still clinging to life. Nakgru was amazed and decided to save him by attaching his head to life support. Wyrmuk still had to go to work and serve as the vizier afterwards. He really should have just quit while he was ahead, but his legacy did go on to inspire Simus (circa. 5,000 BBY) to perform the same trick.
When Syn recovered the scrolls and holocrons of these ancient Sith, she added them to her already vast collection of alchemical knowledge. Using them, she planned to construct three 'Great Amulets.' She designed the three to look like an insect with curved legs. The three amulets were designed with the loftiest goal in mind- immortality. To create these amulets she performed extensive research on the Sith species. She was fascinated at the phenomena of some of them living to be hundreds of years old compared to most sith who had lifespans much closer to those of the human species. She sought to find the biological basis for this phenomena and extract it into a type of potion. She was partially successful. While she was able to make a formula that under the right alchemical influence could regenerate damaged cells and ensure perpetual youth, this formula demanded a great toll in the form of a constant and powerful flow of Force energy from the outside.
The three amulets contained a special elixir which could be administered to a worthy host via a bite from their metal jaws. The potion would then course through their blood causing great agony but leaving their flesh open to the alchemical influence of the amulet. To activate the elixir, the host would have to drain large amounts of Force energy or reside in powerful Force nexuses for that the amulet could continue to hold influence. It could also consume midichlorian rich blood from its host to sustain its powers. The amulets also contained an additional trick to guarantee the safety of its host. In the event of death, the amulet had the capacity to store the life essence of its host in itself. This would only work if the host was able to hold onto their essence as if to become a Force ghost or shade, the type that is said to haunt Korriban, this spirit would then be transferred into the amulet for storage. This is a very interesting ability as it demonstrates a very early form of what would later come to be known as the Essence Transfer ability, which allows a Sith practitioner to transfer their life force from their own body into another host.
The first was created and given to Remulus Dreypa. Together, they infused it with the further power to be able to control massive leviathans. The second amulet took a lot longer to create. She worked with Karness Muur to create what would come to be known as the Muur Talisman. This talisman was infused with a special virus that allowed the amulet to alchemically transform its victims into mindless rakghouls which could then be controlled by the user.
A Note on Rakghouls:
Rakghouls were some of the most peculiar Sithspawn. Unlike most which were designed to be a certain way from birth, the Muur Talisman and its Rakghoul virus were able to infect and transform most sentient species into Rakghouls. This worked by having the virus infect its host over a period of several hours. The virus would specifically target midichlorians thereby giving it a link with the talisman. This special midichlorian bacteriophage is an incredibly sophisticated work of alchemy mush like the virus that made the Rakata deaf to the Force.
The victim's body would then grow hair at an increased rate and their skin would take on a strange color. Black fluid would often come from the victims eyes and other orifices. The final transformation would erode the victims mind, entering into a rabid state of madness and cannibalism. At this point, there would be too much nerve damage to fix. If the victims are not killed, they will mutate further beyond all recognition.
This plague had many incarnations throughout history claiming many lives.
The Conflict:
Syn created these amulets to stir up further resentment between Muur and Dreypa. Dreypa would desire the greater amulet and seek to obtain it possibly causing him to want to stage a coup. Furthermore, since both amulets made their wearers biologically immortal, or at least with perpetual regenerating cells, they would be more likely to make bold moves seeking to gain wealth and positions with a longer goal in mind. Finally, as they caused the wielder constant pain, the users would likely be more irate, but desiring the effects of perpetual regeneration, they would have to keep wearing it. Finally, the practical concern of powering the amulet placed further limits on them. Either they would never leave locations of power, or the amulet would have to consume blood making them weaker.
Meanwhile Syn desired to create a perfected amulet, one free from these limitations. It is unknown if she succeeded, but given the limitations of her formula, it is unlikely. In a ploy to trick Muur, Dreypa created a large oubliette. This creation could hold a living being in stasis for far longer than even carbonite could guarantee. He originally planned to imprison Muur in this device in order to prevent his Rakghoul plague from escaping, but he couldn't as Muur was assassinated before he could do so. The killer was none other than Tulak Hord.
The Return of Tulak Hord:
After his run in with the Xylan superweapons, Hord continued to live out his exile flying around in unknown space. His exploration team took very good maps as he figured that one day he would come back and formally conquer these unknown systems. He didn't particularly care when the Dark Jedi high command stopped calling as it meant that he could have more free reign. However, as the time of his exile drew to an end, he made his way back to the nearest known planet he could find: Korriban.
When he emerged into the system circa. 6,893 BBY, he was astonished to see a fleet made of of ships of a very antique design surrounding the planet. He didn't rush in at once but instead sent in spies to report on what they could find while he listened to radio signals coming from the planet. In a few days he was able to deduce what had happened.
Meanwhile on Korriban, under the watchful eyes of the Jen'jidai overlords, the Sith had experienced a massive technological leap. In only seven years, they went from a primitive society with vague knowledge of how to work half broken spacefaring technology, to a society capable of making improvements upon pre-existing technology. The Zuguruk caste was elevated to a new position of power and they were able to repair old warships and even build new ones based off their antique designs. Granted, this surge in technological advancement caused a massive famine in which tens of millions died as work was diverted from farming to industrialization in such a rapid manner, as what normally happens when a totalitarian government with unreasonably loyal citizens tries to make such a 'great leap forward' but, they figured, if it works, it works.
When Hord found out what had happened, he was disappointed, but in no time at all he was planning on how to conquer the planet. He decided to take it fast and suddenly to hopefully minimize loss of ships. He and a few of his followers boarded an outer system mining vessel and made their way to Korriban. When they got there, Hord found it much different from the tribal society he was used to. While he welcomed the development, something just felt off. However, it was the Sith Great Temple that really angered him. He saw Karness Muur, an outsider, on the throne.
He continued to inhabit the streets of Korriban for weeks afterwards getting a feel for the place. Eventually, he decided that he would stage a coup and take back the throne for the Sith. He found several dissenters who were also upset that an outsider dared to rule over them and inflict suffering on their world. They waited to plan it just right, and when the day came, his allies started a riot outside of the temple. The guards began firing on the crowd, and Hord and allies snuck in. The other guards tried to stop them, but Hord's abilities at that point were much too powerful.
He took Muur by surprise, but the reigning Dark Lord was still able to gather his strength and fight back. The fight was much shorter but just as fierce as their original duel had been. While in their first duel Muur held the advantage until the end, now with Muur's powers waning and Hord's just about to reach their peak, the tables had turned. Karness Muur was killed, his spirit lashing out in anger but being trapped in the amulet- much to the annoyance of later generations.
Sith Magnus:
Hord declared himself to be the new Dark Lord of the Sith, but not only that, he declared himself to be 'Sith Magnus.' This is an ancient title meaning 'all-powerful' or 'Emperor.' In the ancient days of feuding Sith kings and vassal states, it was a claim to legitimacy. It, in effect, meant 'bow down or be destroyed,' much like how the 'Darth' title was used during the New Sith Wars. It was a sign that the reigning dynasty had a challenger. The title was mainly used when a Sith usurper killed the reigning king. The title was used to signify that the usurper claimed the mantle of king, and that any of the kings relatives, apprentices, or other lords interested in the throne had better back down. It was a symbol that the usurper was more powerful than the vanquished king.
However, the title came with many dangers, manly that other lords or true heirs to the throne were rarely eager to give power to a new face. As a result, in the old days, when a rival lord killed the Sith king, said lord usually just sat back in their lordship while waiting for the political turmoil to die down. Usually the assassination would be but a step in a further political game. Usually, the lord would do so to move his own position of influence up or even into the throne legally, or sometimes, other lords would hold honor duels to decide. Very rarely was the title immediately claimed by a new dynasty, so in effect, when Hord did so, he claimed to be more powerful than the gods themselves.
This deserves a short discussion on the role of titles and their relationship to the mandate of kings. The Sith saw all of reality structured according to a great chain of being. This is reflected in the caste system. The Massassi warriors are above the slaves who do not even have citizenship, but even a Sith slave is above most aliens. The Zuguruk are above the Massassi, the Kissai are above the Zuguruk, and the Sith lords are above the Kissai. The Great Chain of Being extends this general concept. Below aliens and infidels are the beasts and below them the plants. Above the Sith lords is the Sith king, and above the king is the gods. Anyone who rises to the status of a king is symbolically adopted by the gods and becomes a demigod thereby rising above mortal Sith.
The only Sith who had fully divine status were the Darr-tah (phonetic link to 'Darth') and the Sith'ari. Darr-tah meant 'escape from death' i.e. one who has full divine status or an avatar of a god. The black-skinned Sith that Adas fought were examples of Darr-tah. The Sith'ari could also bless his children or faithful servants with this status. The Sith'ari was seen as the avatar of Typhojem-Pomojema, the king of the gods, and as such was a rank higher than even the Darr-tah. The Sith'ari was to the Darr-tah what the Darr-tah where to ordinary Sith kings. The Sith'ari was said to reincarnate at desperate times. There have been many exceptions in the past, for example, the heretic monotheist Sakkra Kla declared that there was only one god and he was its prophet, but that's the story for another time.
However, with the arrival of the Jen'jidai, they were seen as the embodiments of the twelve main members of the Sith pantheon. Therefore, each one was seen as a Darr-tah. However, Ajunta Pall was seen as the embodiment of Pomojema-Typhojem, the chief god, and therefore was above even them. To differentiate between the Sith'ari and Darr-tah of old, the equivalent titles of Jen'ari and Jen'jidai were created. The Jen'jidai were above anyone still claiming to be king, and the Jen'ari was above them.
The title 'Magnus,' basically declared the Sith in question to be eligible for the highest position on the board once the previous holder was killed. Hord had already killed Muur making him a Jen'jidai, but if he killed Pall, who's title stuck even after he stepped down, he would rise to the rank of Adas himself.
Within days Hord solidified his power base and forced the other Jen'jidai to submit. Some, such as Syn, reluctantly did so. Dreypa however, did not. However, he saw that resisting Hord would be senseless. After all, a civil war would only destroy resources. Dreypa's goal was to escape from Sith space and take revenge upon the Republic and the Jedi. While he would have prefered to be the reigning dark lord when that happened, given the current circumstances, he decided that a war with the Jedi was a 'now or never' type of affair. As a result, he led a massive rebellion against Hord, but instead of fighting him, they simply retreated to the border of Sith space, eager to fight a much greater enemy.
